Combined cap and pouring spout for glass and metal containers



Nov. 21, 1961 1. B. KUBlLlUNAS 3,009,610

COMBINED CAP AND POURING SPOUT FOR GLASS AND METAL CONTAINERS FiledMarch 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 36 H 5 a 2 44 2o 40 36 1e 48 6 4INVENTOR. 8 IGNAS B. KUBILIUNAS fuzz W1 M ATTO RN EY S Nov. 21, 1961 I.B. KUBILIUNAS 3,009,610

COMBINED CAP AND POURING SPOUT FOR GLASS AND METAL CONTAINERS FiledMarch 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. IGNAS B. KUBILIUNAS ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent 3,009,610 COMBINED CAP AND POURING SPOUT FOR GLASSAND METAL CONTAINERS Ignas B. Kubiliunas, 277 W. 2nd St., South Boston,Mass. Filed Mar. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 13,513 2 Claims. (Cl. 222484) Thisinvention relates to a container closure in the form of a combined capand pouring element which may be used with various types of containers,such as bottles or cans, that have top portions to which the unit may beatfixed.

' (In the typical case, the closure will be used with bottles containingliquids which customarily are poured therefrom in limited quantities. Asis well understood, in pouring a liquid from a closeable container, itis essential that air enter the container to replace the liquid beingpoured therefrom. Usually at the outset of pouring the user will findthat the liquid flows in an intermittent manner as the air gurgles inthrough the neck. Accordingly, one of the objects of this invention isto provide a closure which will permit continuous pouring withoutintermittent surging which makes control difiicult. This is accomplishedthrough the use of two specially arranged apertures, one a vent throughwhich air enters and the other an opening through which the liquid isdischarged.

A further object of the invention is to provide as part of the closure ascrew threaded cap so arranged with respect to the other part of theclosure that the cap may be unscrewed sufiiciently to permit properpouring but may not be removed. The cap, when the pouring operation hasbeen completed, may be screwed downwardly to close both the vent and thepouring opening and also to engage the fixed part of the closure in suchmanner that dust and dirt cannot collect on the pouring lip of the lowerpart.

The invention further contemplates a cap of novel construction whichseals the lower portion of the closure at positions inside and outsideof the vent and pouring openings. In this way air is prevented fromreaching the parts of the closure that have been moistened by the liquidduring the pouring operation so that if the liquid has a sticky or gummycharacteristic when the water has evaporated therefrom such gumming orsticking cannot occur because of the impossibility of evaporation fromthe dampened areas.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent asthe description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in,which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cap prior to installation, cut awayin part to show the interior construction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower part of the closure which ispermanently affixed to the container. This lower part has been cut awayin a manner similar to FIG. 1 to show the interior construction,including a transverse perforated member.

FIG. 3 shows the cap of FIG. 1 applied to and screwed down in closedposition on the lower part, but here the lower part is atfixed toanother type of container.

FIG. 4 shows a cap and lower part similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 in connectedposition with the vent and pouring openings in open position but havinga crosswise extending perforated member of diflerent configuration thanthat shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of the cap in closed positionon the lower part :but disclosing a transverse perforated member in theform of a screen.

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 6-6 ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a detailed elevation showing the manner in part.

3,009,610 Patented Nov. 21, 1961 which the stop on the cap is forced bythe stop on the lower part of the closure as the cap is being applied.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the position the two stopsassume when the cap, after application to the lower part, has beenunscrewed to the maximum open position.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is disclosed a container 2 whichmay be a bottle having a conventional threaded neck 4. To this isapplied the lower tubular part 6 of the closure which is correspondinglyscrew threaded at 8. This lower part will be screwed on tightly and maybe permanently affixed in any convenient mani her. The upper end of thelower part 6 has a circular channel 10 having a bottom area 12 fromwhich extends upwardly and outwardly a sloping curved wall 14terminating in a pouring lip 16. This lip is sufliciently sharp so thatupon termination of the pouring operation any drip on the edge thereofwill run back into the channel rather than down the outer wall of thelower part 6.

The lower part-has an interiorly extending flange 18 from which extendsupwardly a tubular part or neck 20 exteriorly threaded with a coarsethread 22. Cut through the wall '20 at oppositely disposed positions isa vent 24 and a pouring opening 26.

A perforated member 28 extends across the interior of the space withinflange 18 and in the form shown this perforated member may be integralwith the lower part. It contains a substantial number of relativelysmall openings as at 30 and is in the form shown in FIG. 2 in the natureof an inverted pyramid. Along the interior wall of the cylindrical upperportion 20, which is cut back as at '21, is a stop 32 which has anupwardly sloping upper surface 34. This stop is designed to cooperatewith another stop to be found on the cap which will be explained in moredetail shortly. 1

The cap that is suitable for use with the lower part shown in FIG. 2 isdisclosed in FIG. 1. This cap 36 has a depending outer flange 38 whichterminates in a flaring skirt 40. This skirt then curves downwardly andinwardly as at 42: to terminate in a cylindrical bottom flange 44. Theouter flange 38 is interiorly threaded as at 46 with threads whose pitchcorresponds to that of the threads 22 on the lower part. Depending fromthe top of the cap is an interior secondary flange 48, on the. side ofwhich is a stop 50 having a sloping bottom surface 52. The radialdimension of stop 50 enables it to reside within the cut back area 21when the cap is applied to the lower When the cap is initially appliedto the lower part 6, the threads 46 and 22 engage and as the cap isrotated the sloping surfaces 34 and 52 engage each other in the mannershown in FIG. 7. However, since the two parts of the cap will preferablybe made of molded plastic the application of sufiicient force will causethe surfaces 52 and 34 to slide past each other to assume the positionshown in FIG. 8. Thereafter it will be impossible to unscrew the capbeyond the point of engagement of the stops; but on the other hand, thepitch of the threads is such that the cap may be screwed down tightly onthe lower part by rotation to the right through an angle which is lessthan one full turn so that the stops have not come into engagement whenthe cap has been closed tightly.

When the cap of FIG. 1 is screwed down tightly on the lower part 6 ofFIG. 2, the cylindrical bottom'flange 44 vwill rest tightly against thecircular area 12 as shown in FIG. 5, thus effectively sealing pouringopening 26 and the vent 24 from the exterior atmosphere. The skirt 40 isso shaped as to come closely adjacent the pouring lip 16 therebypreventing, during periods of non-use, the accumulation of dirt or duston the interior 14 of the lip. The outside diameter of the interiorcylindrical flange 48 is such that when the cap is open it rests againstthe interior of the circular wall 20 and when the cap is closed thelower outer periphery of flange 48 also engages the interior circularwall of the flange 18. In this way, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, theinterior sides of pouring opening 26 and vent opening 24 are sealed whenthe cap is closed. Thus any fluid that may remain in the pouring opening26 cannot dry up to block the pouring opening for subsequent use.

In the operation of the above closure, the cap is unscrewed until thestop 50 engages stop 32. This occurs in less than a turn, and in thisposition the pouring opening 26 and vent opening 24 will be fully openas indicated in FIG. 4. The bottle is then turned to pouring positionand liquid runs through the openings 30 in the perforated member 28 andthence out through pouring opening 26. At the same time air enters vent24 and passes through the uppermost of the openings 3% to enter thebottle. It has been determined experimentally that when a perforatedmember of the type disclosed either in FIG. 2, in which it is in theform of an inverted pyramid, in FIG. 3, in which the perforated memberis a horizontal plate, in FIG. 4, in which the perforated member isgenerally in the form of a portion of a sphere, or in FIG. 5, in whichthe perforated member is screening of suitable mesh, the air will beconducted steadily into the container and the liquid will pass throughopenings 30 so that liquid will run continuously and smoothly out of thepouring opening 26.

It will be noted in FIG. 4 that when the cap is fully open the flange 48is in continuous engagement with the interior circumference of wall 20at a position above the two openings 24 and 26. Thus liquid iseffectively prevented from getting into the upper part of the capbetween wall 48 and the outer flange 38. This insures that the threadswill not be gummed up by the fluid of the container.

When a sufiicient quantity has been poured from the container, the unitis turned upright and any drip will be caught in channel with thesurplus running back through the pouring opening 26 into the container.Thereafter the cap will be screwed down to closed position as shown inFIG. 5 whereby the container will be effectively sealed in the manneralready referred to.

In the construction shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the closure hasbeen modified, showing the manner in which it may be mounted on the topof a can instead of a bottle. A can top indicated at 54 has a circularopening therein into which is snapped the lower part 6 of the closure.The lower end is tapered as at 56 and a circular groove 58 is providedof such dimensions as to effectively snap into position in thecylindrical opening in the can top. The structure of the cap in relationto the lower part 6 is, however, the same as already described inconnection with FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5. The invention does not reside inthe manner in which the closure is attached to the container but ratherin the effective cooperation of the cap and the lower part whereby whenthe device is open steady and continuous pouring of liquid may beachieved without causing contamination of the threads, and when the capis closed the pouring and vent openings will be sealed on both theirinner and outer sides so that the liquid cannot evaporate and gum up inthese areas. Additionally the interior of the lip 16 is kept clean byskirt 40. The inclusion of the stop mechanism prevents removal of thecap so that it cannot become lost or mislaid, while at the same timeallowing the cap to be opened to the full extent necessary.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the exampleof the invention herein chosen for 7 purposes of the disclosure which donot constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A closure for a container, said closure compris ng a cap and a lowerpart, the said lower part including means whereby it may be applied to acontainer, said lower part having an upper exteriorly threaded neck anda cylindrical interior surface, said cap having a depending outer flangewith a narrow bottom flange extending therebelow, said outer flangeinteriorly threaded and in threaded engagement with the said threadedneck, said lower part having vent and pouring openings through said necklocated opposite each other, one of the said openings sloping downwardand inwardly through said neck, and a circular area curving radiallyupwardly to form a pouring lip and extending about said neck below saidopenings and located at a level to drain into said openings, cooperatingstop means on both the cap and lower part to limit rotation of said capwith respect to said lower part to not more than one full turn, thecooperating threads on said outer flange and neck being of such pitchthat when said cap is rotated to the limit of its travel toward saidlower part the said openings will be closed on the outside by said outerflange and said narrow bottom flange will be in engagement with saidcircular area near said neck, and when said cap is rotated in theopposite direction until said stops engage the said openings will beuncovered by said outer flange, the outer flange of said cap also havinga circular bottom surface located radially outwardly of said narrowbottom flange for making sealing engagement with the outermost portionof said circular lip area of the lower part, said cap having a secondaryinterior flange coaxial with said outer flange whose exterior surfacemakes sealing engagement with the interior cylindrical surface of saidneck below said openings when said cap is closed and above said openingswhen said cap is open.

2. A closure for a container comprising a cap and a lower part, said caphaving a main outer depending flange and a narrow circumferential bottomflange depending therefrom, said outer flange threaded interiorly, saidlower part having means for attachment to a container and having anupstanding cylindrical neck, said neck being externally threaded,oppositely disposed openings through said neck, an annular area curvingradially upwardly at the bottom of the exterior of said neck with itsinterior on the same level as the bottom of said openings, cooperatingstops on the said cap and on the said neck, said stops acting to limitthe rotation of said cap with respect to said lower part to less thanone full turn, said cap when screwed to its downmost limit with respectto said lower part being in a position where the lower edge of saidnarrow bottom flange of said outer flange will engage said annular areaclose to said openings on the exterior and the exterior lip of saidannular area will also be engaged by said outer flange, and a perforatedmember extending across the area within said neck below said openings,said perforations in said member acting to cause simultaneous smoothinflow of air through some of said perforations and outflow of liquidthrough other perforations when the said closure is open and saidcontainer has been tilted to pouring position whereby fluid will flowcontinuously out through one of said openings and air will entercontinuously through the other said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS301,946 Wright July 15, 1884 728,610 Posno May 19, 1903 1,760,946Hammerstein June 3, 1930 2,179,423 Pari Nov. 7, 1939

